


The mourning bells of the ball

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crushes, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hair Braiding, Lesbian Marianne von Edmund, Makeup, Queer Themes, Rare-Pair, Rare-pair hell is a terrible place, References to Depression, Tall Marianne von Edmund
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26473831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Leonie needs some help getting ready for the upcoming ball; Marianne cannot fathom why, out of all the people at Gareeg Mach, out of all the people in Fodlan, out of everyone whole wide world why she singled her out.She blames Dorte. That naughty boy.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Leonie Pinelli
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	The mourning bells of the ball

The happiest hour of the day was six o’clock in the morning, not a moment sooner, and certainly not at any point after. A good night’s sleep was elusive to Marianne; between dreading what she might see once her eyes finally fluttered shut and trembling at the thought of what may be in her place once she awoke, there was truly no way to win. Marianne would be awake by four o’clock, whether she had stayed up until then or rose then was inconsistent, but it was always that time when her day began. Four o’clock was the worst hour of the day, for it was when Marianne would lay curled in her bed, buried under blankets and blinking slowly at nothing in particular. She could not fall back asleep, not with the wicked voice of the beast within her mind, and she could not sit up thanks to the oppressive weight that filled her body. Her veins felt as though they were filled with lead while her thoughts crashed against the confines of her skull, paralyzed with the terrible notion that today may finally be the day that she turned. five o’clock wasn’t much better, but at least this was when she could force herself to sit up. She’d roll herself out of bed, often literally, to kneel before her disorderly bed to offer prayers which seemed like they would never be answered before she dressed. Then, the blessed hour came, her wonderful, peaceful, personal, six o’clock. She would walk to the stables, free from prying eyes and tight crowds and quietly enjoy her solace with the animals. It was even better towards the end of the year, when the sky was still dark, and not even the moon nor the sun was there to interrupt Marianne’s one happiness.

That was the case almost every day, but today as Marianne turned the corner, she yelped at the familiar flash of red hair. Leonie had already laid claim to the stables, and Marianne threw herself back around the corner without a breath to spare, avoiding her warm, caramel eyes. Out of all the people it could have been, _why did it have to be her_? Marianne clasped her hands at her chest, jaw slack and face quite hot as she thanked the Goddess above for not letting the tomboy see her.

“Hey, is that you over there, Mari?” Leonie called out. 

_I renounce that prayer. Why have you forsaken me?_

Hesitantly, Marianne peeked her head around the corner, peering out at Leonie, who looked positively delighted to see her wretched face. 

“Hey, Good morning!” 

“I-I’m sorry…” Marianne started, already trying to escape. “I just wanted to see the horses…. I’ll leave you be…” 

“Hey, there’s no hurry, I was just feeding them.” Leonie jumped slightly at the impatient snorting of a rather familiar stallion, before chuckling. “As a matter of fact, you might want to stay, I think Dorte heard you.” 

Regrettably, Marianne had confided to Dorte about her feelings about Leonie, her desire to stay close to her even as her mind screamed at her to leave, and the angst she felt as she was forced to leave to protect her from her crest. She had told that silly horse all of this _in confidence_ , only to be sabotaged now…! The worst part was that Dorte would have known that Marianne would be too soft hearted to deprive him of treats for it. 

_You naughty boy!_ Marianne thought aloud, willing the horse to hear it. He Whinnied, mockingly.

Marianne found her place beside Leonie, tense and taut as she allowed Dorte to nuzzle his snout into her hand. Leonie took a moment to stretch out and crack her knuckles, as confident as she always seemed to be. It made Marianne feel very small, something she found she quite liked.

“So, the ball's coming up. Feeling ready?” Leonie asked, chattering more than enough for the both of them. 

“I don’t think I’ll attend…” 

“No? Huh.” Leonie thought for a moment. “What if you went for just the first… I don’t know, ten minutes? I’ll stick with you, and walk you back to your dorm when you’re ready to go. No questions asked.” 

“I wouldn’t trouble you like that…” 

“Hey, it’s no trouble if I’m the one who offered it, ok? Just helping a friend out.” Leonie stared Marianne down, determined to get her message across. “Speaking of which, remind me to go talk to Claude later. I wanted to see if he had anything I could borrow to wear.” 

Leonie huffed, with a little shake of her head.

“No use going out and buying something I’ll _literally_ never use again if I’ve got a noble the same size as me to borrow from.” 

Marianne’s mind drifted, imagining Leonie in a glimmering, golden coat and fine leather boots. Her heart swelled up so much that she struggled to breath for a moment. Dorte whinnied once again, hoofs impatiently tapping on the dirt floor. 

_Please, be quiet!_

“Not too sure about my hair, though.” Leonie mentioned offhand. She looked down into one of the water troughs, pursed her lips at her reflecting whilst pinching at the strand. “But I can’t exactly do much with it, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Marianne felt herself fall into a trance as she watched Leonie’s finger’s dance along those ginger strands, The pink of the early morning sky giving her an ethereal halo. Leonie’s hair was not unlike fire, threatening and frightening Marianne away, lest she wished to be scorched by it’s brilliant heat. Yet at the same time, it compelled her to come closer, to bask in it’s warmth and soak in smoke of any inhibition she would come to toss in.

“Well...” Marianne’s voice came out trembling. “Maybe you could…” 

On a whim, she reached out a gaunt hand towards Leonie’s unevenly cropped thatches. Leonie turned away from her reflection, eyeing the ghostly palm and instinctively moving away. Marianne quickly became aware of just what she was doing, before swiftly and delicately pulling back. She used her other hand to hold the more ‘adventurous’ one to her chest, as in that moment she feared that it might just have a mind of its own.

“Ah- I-I…” She squeaked out, taking a timid step backwards. “I’m sorry…” Was all she managed to force out before quietly clicking her jaw shut. 

“No, hold on, wait!” Leonie said, making her way towards the retreating girl. 

Marianne’s eyes went frightfully wide for a moment as she found herself stumbling back, 

“Where are you running off to?” Leonie asked, placing a hand on her hip. “Come on, let me know what you were gonna say. I wanna hear it!” 

Leonie kept her voice chipper in an attempt to not intimidate Marianne any more than she already had. Marianne shook her head. 

“I’m sorry Leonie, I just don’t think I’ll have anything of use-”

“You do your own hair, don’t you?” Leonie quickly cut off what would have been Marianne’s self-loathing tirade. 

Marianne self consciously brushed at a stray, curling lock. 

“Y-yes, but-” 

“Well you do a pretty good job with it, so why not help me out a bit?” 

Before Marianne could protest anymore, Leonie dragged a bucket from out of the stables, lifting a leg over so she could plop down on top; she looked up to Marianne with a catlike grin, the only customer in the salon she never asked to open. Defeated, she dragged herself to make her way over to Leonie, bending down awkwardly at her middle to the girl’s seated form. 

“Well, you have hair… Uhm… and it’s… it’s hair…” 

Leonie pouted. “Hey come on, it’s not like I’m bald or anything.” 

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that...” 

“It’s _fine_ , Marianne. I’m giving you a hard time. Do your thing.”

Marianne gave a quick nod. 

“I can’t do… I can’t put it up… and I don’t think you want… i-It's r-really short, so…” Marianne continued to blunder pathetically. 

“So…?” Leonie pressed, becoming impatient. 

“I’m… I’m…” Marianne gave up. “I’m not very good at explaining…” 

“Well, then just show me.” Leonie suggested. 

Marianne blinked. “What do you mean…?” 

“I’m just saying.” Leonie shrugged. “You clearly got an idea in mind, so how about you just go ahead and do it?” 

“Oh…” Marianne whispered, looking around. “O-ok…”  
  


Leonie leaned back, satisfied that she could find a solution for Marianne’s social predicament. She offered the other girl a bright smile, waiting for her to get started. In response, Marianne turned on her heel, and bumbled away from her classmate, slipping just behind the side of the stable. 

“Whu- Marianne…!” Leonie’s voice squeaked out with annoyance. 

She promptly stood, lip curled as she took exactly two stomping steps after the gawky girl, just before she could make out the hem of Marianne’s long skirt just around the corner she supposedly vanished behind. Leonie paused with a few quick blinks, and leaned her body over to the side to try and see what exactly Marianne was doing. She caught a glimpse of her knelt by a green hedge, a bony hand deep within the green leaves, rustling around as the other hand was clasped firmly to her chest. Leonie stumbled back and onto her bucket just as Marianne stood and shuffled back into view; in her hands she held a spray of tiny, vibrantly yellow wildflowers, which she hid the lower half of her face in and peered at Leonie through shaggy bangs. With her shoulders hunched up and the flowers clutched tightly to her body, she could easily be mistaken for a blushing bride to be. 

Marianne stopped by Leonie’s side, shakily lowering down to her knees, flowers falling onto her lap. Wordlessly, she began to place them into Leonie’s hair. She would take chunks in between her fingers, their icy chill ghosting just past Leonie’s warm cheeks, twisting them carefully as to braid the flowers in between them. Leonie twiddled her thumbs awkwardly as she waited for Marianne to finish, who was being rather particular and measured about her work, no doubt afraid of creating a tangle or snag.

“Soooo….” Leonie boredom finally cracking her. “Is this gonna take-” 

“It’s-” Marianne suddenly started, interrupting Leonie. Her lip quivered slightly at the slip, diffidently clasping her hands. “I’m sorry.” 

Leonie raised a hand to hover over her hair. She could definitely feel the flowers in her scalp, which made her apprehensive to move, lest she wanted to ruin Marianne’s work. 

“What, is it done?” She asked, looking over to Marianne with her eyes rather than turning her head.

Marianne wrung her hands. “Yes, um…” she quickly looked around the stables. “Do you think you could.. P-please wait for… for only a moment?” 

“Sure.” Leonie said dismissively. Relief visibly washed over Marianne at such a casual response to her request. 

“Thank you…” She mumbled, lifting her skirts and disappearing into the stables. Leonie heard the sound of metal clanging on the floor and a dismayed stammer from Marianne just past her ear, but Marianne stayed true to her word and plodded back just after a brief pause. 

She slid in front of Leonie, peeking out at her from behind a large, silver kite shield. Leonie looked from Marianne to the shield, noticing her reflection inside. The wildflowers were formed like a laurel across her head, the golden clusters popping out against fiery red. Leonie did away with her previous caution, now turning her head from side to side to admire the adornment. 

“Marianne-” She started “-This actually looks really good!” 

Marianne let out a tiny breath. “You like it?” She asked, hanging her head over the shield to look at Leonie. 

“Yeah, this looks great!” Leonie beamed up at Marianne. “I have no idea what you were so worried about, you got a real talent for this!” 

Marianne blinked quickly, shrinking a bit behind the shield. She felt a wobbly smile spread across her face as her gaze fell and her heart began to pump a tingling warmth throughout her body.

“I-I’m glad…!” She choked out with a sudden eagerness she wasn’t aware she was capable of. “I’m really glad…” 

Marianne tilted herself to the side so she could carefully prop the shield up against the nearby wall, looking out to Leonie past her shoulder with folded hands.

“Um… anyways, If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you again at class…” 

“Hey, hold on.” The redhead insisted, causing the other girl to freeze before she could turn her back to her. “I got one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.” 

Marianne didn’t like the way Leonie phrased that; seized with anxiety, she slowly turned, chin dipped as she waited for Leonie’s request.

“Do you know anything about using this?” Leonie had procured a basic set of make-up, neatly packaged in a painted mahogany box. “Hilda gave it to me a while ago. She was gonna throw this whole thing out after she got a new box! Can you believe that?” 

She shook her head, disapprovingly. 

“I wasn’t about to let it go to waste but uh… honestly, It’s been doing exactly that.” 

“... What will you do with it then?” Marianne asked. 

“That’s what I was gonna ask you. Now’s a good time to put it to use, and I thought you could give me a hand with putting it on.”

No matter how little Leonie knew about make-up, Marianne was certain she knew even less. There were days where she didn’t even have the energy to bathe, where would she find the will to sit down and put on makeup? 

“I-I-” Marianne had begun to argue, only for Leonie to turn, already making her way back towards the stables. Marianne piped up, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, but there isn’t much I’ll be able to do…!”

“Hey, if you can do hair, you can do makeup, right?” Leonie asked over her shoulder, taking the shield and setting it right next to a hay barrel. Once she took her seat, she patted the empty space next to her. “Come on, we’ll figure it out together!”

Leonie was a difficult girl to say no to; not just because Marianne was deeply and indescribably in love with her, but because she literally would not take no for an answer. She was so driven and self-assured, which was a trait that Marianne both loved, due to her need for security, and hated, due to her terrible shyness.

“... It… won’t look good.” Marianne resigned, taking a seat in front of Leonie, legs folded underneath her. 

“‘Don’t know until you try it.” 

“I _am_ trying it…” Marianne countered, eyes downcast as she scooted the makeup kit closer to her.

“Yes, now you’re talking!” Leonie cheered enthusiastically, smacking a calloused hand on Marianne’s shoulder. Marianne flinched unconsciously, before curling back upwards slowly with the threat of a smile tugging at her cheeks. 

“Which one should I start with?” Marianne asked helplessly, holding up an array of tools for the cavalier to choose from. 

“How about…” Leonie’s eyes traced over her options, Marianne dearly thankful that she didn’t try to insist Marianne step up and speak her mind. “How about that one?”

Leonie had chosen a tiny tub of lip shine, a bright hue not unlike a rose. Leonie would look better with a dark color, Marianne deduced, a deep, earthy tone against warm, tanned skin. To say that Leonie was sun-kissed would be an understatement, she _was_ the sun as far as Marianne was concerned. She scooped up the red, waxy substance, figuring she had to make do with what she was given. She curled her pointer finger, poised to be as gentle as she could as to not catch Leonie’s lip on an grimy, untrimmed nail. Leonie puckered up her lips as she assumed you were supposed to; though he figured she must be doing something wrong as Marianne hovered over her with her head cocked to the side, trying to discern just where and how she was supposed to apply the lip shine. Leonie shifted gears, just a little embarrassed as she relaxed her face, slowly allowing her lips to part. Just as Leonie had truly begun to relax, Marianne’s left hand met her face, but flew away as soon as it made contact.

“Hey-!” Leonie suddenly yelped, jumping a bit at the touch. 

“Sorry, I-!” but for once in Marianne’s life, instead of cracking under pressure, she buckled down. “I… I just need you to stay still.” 

“Oh.” Leonie blinked. “Well, uh-” 

She coughed, rubbing the back of her neck, averting her gaze. 

“You can… you can go ahead, Mari.” 

It was alien to see Leonie so shy, lips pursed into a slight pout and brow furrowed as she surrendered. Marianne’s snowy fingers cupped Leonie’s bronzed cheek, the contrast between temperatures so stark that it wouldn’t come off as a surprise if steam rose from the touch.

“ _Ooh.”_ Leonie gasped, brow furrowing at the sudden chill. “ _Yeesh.”_

Leonie looked up, amber eyes locking with chocolate ones for a brief moment. Marianne felt Leonie gulp against her hand, wide eyes quickly darting away and looking as far to the side as they could, a healthy glow dusting across her freckled nose. Marianne quickly put her thumb onto Leonie’s bottom lip, tracing her finger back and forth so as to not stir the other girl. Leonie screwed her eyes shut, face flushed and pinched as she tried her best to accept the idea that Marianne was still working, and for that she mustn't stir. 

Marianne wanted to kiss her, then and there. She thought maybe if she went quickly enough, Leonie wouldn’t even notice, and they would both continue on as though nothing had happened. Make no mistake however, Marianne wouldn’t try to overstep any more boundaries as she already had. She was aware she shouldn’t be acting like this, and she certainly knew that she shouldn’t even be this close. There was no guarantee that her crest wouldn’t suddenly awaken, compelling her to rip the girl to shreds, but oddly enough it seemed... safe enough. Being this close to Leonie felt safe. She was touching her; she was _touching_ her, and she felt not even a trace of fear nor a lust for blood in her heart. If it was safe to caress her cheek, was it also safe to embrace her? Was it safe to nuzzle into her, to take her in and be held in return? Then could they kiss? Could they stay like that? For how long? Could Marianne _actually_ make her happy? 

Perhaps this was a sign from the Goddess… Was Leonie safe? Would Marianne be able to keep Leonie safe? 

_“Yes_ .” whispered a voice in Marianne’s mind. She knew it was probably only herself, lost to her whimsy, but she wanted to believe that it was the Goddess right there before her. “ _Yes, yes indeed!”_

After some time, Leonie slowly peeked at Marianne with one eye to check her progress. Marianne had all but climbed into her lap by this point, makeup resting atop her knees, watching Leonie with a hazy look in her eyes. Leonie blinked back at her, voice stolen from her as she waited for the blue haired beauty to do something, _anything._

“...I’m done.” Marianne forced as much confidence as she could with her little voice, betrayed only by the pink in her cheeks. 

“Ah… Alright.” Leonie fumbled on her response, thinly veiling disappointment while nodding quickly. “Alright!” 

She regained her composure, flashing a toothy smile. Marianne regrettably moved back, as Leonie clapped her hands, taking a hold of the shield. 

“Let’s see how this-!” 

Leonie cut herself off as soon as she caught a glimpse of what she looked like.

“Oh.” 

At first, Marianne’s heart sank; she had been terribly distracted the entire time she was applying the make-up, eager for the chance to _oogle_ the classmate she had admired so deeply. So enthralled by Leonie’s rustic beauty, Marianne now realized that she hadn’t actually been paying attention to just what she was doing. The powder, which had originally been bought with Hilda’s complexion in mind, made it look as though flour had been tossed in her face, and the heavy handed application of the blush made two giant circles of bright, sparkling pink on Leonie’s cheeks. Marianne’s fear that she might accidentally poke Leonie in the eye while applying kohl had given her the idea to try and ring just around and on the sides of the eye rather than the eyelid, not unlike a raccoon. Any other day Leonie went out of her way to discourage Marianne’s defeatism, but now Leonie could see her earlier point that she couldn’t do makeup loud and clear.

“Well. Uh. It’s uh…” Leonie struggled to find the words, staring with wide eyes and a tight mouth. “ _Welp_.” 

A small, whimpering sound suddenly escaped Marianne; Leonie turned to see her with two hands curled up over each other, covering her mouth. Her shoulders were raised up and shivering as her eyes remained locked on Leonie, like a goat called to the chopping block. 

“Hey, no Mari, listen-” Leonie sighed, putting a hand up, as though she were ready to soothe a spooked horse. “It’s alright, _it’s alright_ , first time for everything, right? Just go ahead, slide over some water to me, and we’ll-” 

Marianne began to squeak again, musical and bubbling, her eyes screwing shut as she doubled over herself, shuddering and gasping. Leonie couldn’t believe it… Marianne, in her own painfully shy way, was laughing at her! She felt a prickling heat rise in her cheeks, indigent not at the ridicule itself, but the fact that it was so innocent in nature that Leonie couldn’t even be angry.

“Hey, who do you think you’re laughing at?” Leonie snarled, a dark smirk tracing her features as she took the feathery brush in her hands. “I still need to do you!” 

Marianne’s hands tore from her face, instead hoping to use them to protect herself from the oncoming onslaught. 

“Oh, no, no!” She wailed out between her now uncontrollable giggles. “I-I’m sorry, please-!” 

Her desperate groveling was all for not, as with a little roar Leonie pounced atop of her. The pair toppled over the hay barrel, Leonie pressing all of her weight onto Marianne’s slim body. With the noblewoman completely helpless to the commoner’s advances, Leonie assaulted her face with dab after dab of powder, smears and slashes of lip shine, pounding on kohl on her eyes and battering her cheeks with blush. Marianne chortled and shrieked, flailing underneath, thrashing her head from side to side as her only defense.

“ _There!_ ” Leonie snapped through the gritted teeth of her wicked smile. 

Marianne had gone completely limp on the ground, tears flowing down her face from her laughing fit. Her cool-down was short lived however, as Leonie grabbed her shirt collar, eliciting a high pitched whimper from the other girl as she was yanked up into a sitting position. Leonie threw her arm around Marianne’s shoulder, smashing her into her side before practically shoving the shield into Marianne’s face.

“Now look at you!” 

Marianne caught eyes with her reflection; rather than being met with the grim and ghastly face of a gargoyle in the body of a girl, she saw the bright and colorful visage of a clown. She squealed with laughter, covering her face and pressing into Leonie’s side, who in turn wrapped her arms around her frail frame and squeezed. 

“I think we’re ready to go, right?” Leonie suggested. “You’re the noble, you tell me!”

“I-I think we’ll need dresses too…!” Marianne gasped for air, sitting up and throwing her arms out to the sides for emphasis. “Big ones!” 

“Oh yeah, if we don’t get stuck in the doorway, what are we even doing there?” Leonie snorted, 

“W-wigs also! A-and they have to be so tall that they touch the ceiling... !” Marianne declared, with more light in her eyes than Leonie had ever seen. 

“Woah, slow down there, if we throw on one of those then _nobody_ will be able to resist us.”

“But we won’t dance with anyone!” Marianne pounded her palms on the hay barrel for emphasis. “No boys! I-If anyone comes near us… we’ll kick them out!” 

“Damn Mari, I never took you for a heartbreaker!” 

“Well-” Marianne looked so excited that Leonie thought she might faint, her cheeks aglow, smile wild and shaking from joy. “G-guess what?”

“What?” 

“I am now!” Marianne insisted, chest puffed out and with the sassiest look her sweet little face could muster. 

Leonie couldn’t help but burst into a deep belly laugh at Marianne’s complete break of character; Marianne couldn’t be that much of a heartbreaker, if she was then she wouldn’t have let Leonie reach over and bury herself into the other girl, folding in on herself and she wheezed. Marianne allowed herself to completely melt in the embrace, giggling quietly and smiling so hard that it hurt. She cuddled the crook of Leonie’s neck, something that she only a few hours ago could only dream of, a great deal of warmth pooling at her stomach. Her eyes had shut unconsciously as she simmered down, sliding her thin arms up Leonie’s back and lightly pressing her nails into her shoulder blades. With a contented sigh, her eyes fluttered open, hoping to catch another glimpse of her beloved Leonie in all her sun-kissed, disheveled glory, only to lock eyes with Cyril standing just overhead. 

Marianne jumped, turning away from Cyril with a hand over her mouth, trying to hide herself away. The boy, serious as a soldier, had one brow cocked and the corner of his lip pulled taut, a face that was very clearly meant to express judgement. Leonie was still laughing, as she leaned back, supporting herself with her palms as she waved a hand to him. 

“H-hey there buddy, how’s it going over there?”

“Uh… fine? I just thought you guys were going _crazy_ or something...”

“Oh, yeesh…” Leonie blushed, running a hand over her face. “You heard all that…?” 

Marianne was transfixed back on Leonie; she was ashamed of the moment that they had shared together. All at once Marianne felt her body burn, horrified as she realized that she took everything too far, spoiling what might have been a joyful time with a potential friend.

“I mean, yeah… Pretty sure you just woke up the whole darn monastery.” Cyril shrugged. “... anyways, do you guys mind heading out? I got a lot to do here…”

“Okay, relax little man… just give me a second, alright?” 

“Yeah, alright.”

Leonie leaned over the water trough and splashed the water against her face, rubbing away the disaster that Marianne had subjected it to. The fleshy colors streamed down her muscular arms liquid below, tainting it permanently. Marianne’s eyes fell back on her reflection; in that moment she didn’t see a ghoul, nor a silly princess ready for the ball, not even a lovable clown. She saw a stranger, the kind that mothers would warn their children to beware. The stranger had made a sloppy attempt to try and fit in with the populace, a thick layer of powder to imitate skin, lips painted red as blood to fake a womanly smile, and bright pink blush on it’s cheeks to imply that it’s shriveled heart still beat. The stranger wore the mask of a person, to lure in little deer and gobble them up, one by one. She could have washed until her fingers bled and her skin became waterlogged, but that stranger would always be there, wearing it’s hideous human mask. Whatever the stranger was getting at, Marianne did not care for it. She scampered to her feet, hands cupping over her face in an attempt to hide away, and fled.

Silently, she was back in her room and her door was shut behind her in one fluid motion. She pressed her back against the darkened hardwood, closing her eyes and as she let out short, gasping sobs. She slid against the frame and down to the floor, burying her head in her knees as her mind whirled and screeched at her. The makeup had left a messy imprint on her skirt, an ugly impression of an ugly face. Hiccuping, she used her tears as a means to scrub whatever makeup remained on her face away, washing away any trace of today. 

Marianne brought her clenched fists to her chest, poised to blubber out a desperate prayer, but only a pathetic mewl came forth. She brought her forehead to rest on her hands, and just as her knuckles began to turn white from the pressure, she slowly uncurled them. In her palm was one little yellow wildflower, miraculously unharmed even with how tightly she had been clutching it. It seemed not unlike an artifact now, a frail, flimsy piece of evidence that suggests maybe she could make someone happy. Maybe, just maybe, the Goddess had heard her. Maybe she sent her the wildflowers to show that she could do good.

She jumped suddenly at a knock on her door. 

“Mari? Hey, Mari, let me in...” 

_“Let her in.”_ The Goddess called out. _“My child, she is my gift to you!”_

  
 _“Thank you, mother.”_ The beast within replied. _“What a wonderful morsel this little doe will be.”_

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was in development hell for almost a year and when I finally opened it back up I found out that Leomari week had ended just the other day; to say I was upset was an understatement.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
